


Silent

by chailattemusings



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: M/M, parental disputes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-23
Updated: 2013-11-23
Packaged: 2018-01-02 11:08:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1056053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chailattemusings/pseuds/chailattemusings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ray loses his voice and is understandably grumpy. Joel resolves to make him feel better any way he can.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Silent

There were few things in life that could effectively stop productivity for a job like Ray’s. Sickness or family events, he could handle, because there was no way he could work when those came upon him. He simply had to accept them and call Geoff to let him know he’d be out. Minor colds didn’t typically stop work, though depending on the frequency of sneezes Ray might be kicked out to prevent spreading it to anyone else. And conventions, well, that was work anyway, so Ray didn’t feel like he was getting nothing done.

But this, of all things, made him feel simultaneously capable, and completely useless. Ray’s job required that he show up, record play through, and say funny things. There was a lot of editing in between, but talking was integral. So when he got up the morning after a visit with his mother, a visit that had resulted in a lot of shouting about Ray’s love life and whose choice it was what he did with it, and felt the scratch in his throat that wouldn’t be cured with only a few drinks of water, he kicked his sheets away like a child and pressed his knuckles to his eyes. He would have groaned out loud, had his voice been able to manage it. As it was, there might as well be a dozen rocks stuck in his throat. Each swallow felt like sandpaper rubbing the inner skin raw.

The kicking had disturbed the man lying beside Ray, who grunted and slid his arm from around Ray’s waist. One eye cracked open, and his eyebrows furrowed at the sight of his boyfriend apparently trying to press his own eyes to the back of his skull. “Ray?” Joel groaned, sliding an elbow underneath himself to shift up. “What’s the matter?”

Ray tried to answer, he really did, but all that came out was a scratching that sounded vaguely like, “My voice.”

Joel woke further, sitting up to look down over Ray, pushing the younger man’s hands back. Ray stared at him as desperately as he could without his glasses, Joel’s face fuzzy with an indistinct expression. “Are you sick?” Joel realized the uselessness of asking as soon as he said it, and frowned at himself.

Ray, for his part, only breathed a sigh through his nose and shook his head. He turned to grab his glasses off the nightstand and put them on, untangling from the sheets to leave the room. Joel watched, and wondered if he should follow, before Ray returned with a pen and the pad they used to stick notes to the fridge when one of them left, just in case text and email failed them. Ray sat back on the bed and scribbled out a note, handing it to Joel when he finished.

The taller man took it, squinting. It read, _My voice must have broke after the fight with my mom._

Joel swallowed, eyebrows knitting together as he looked at Ray. He had agreed to stay clear during her visit, but Ray left his phone at Joel’s place and he wouldn’t leave his boyfriend without it, so he stopped by. Needless to say, Ray’s mother didn’t take kindly to that, assuming the (correct) situation and screaming at Ray for never telling her what his preferences were and about the older man standing awkwardly in his living room. It wasn’t so much about being gay as it was about Joel being older, a tired argument that Ray and Joel put to bed long ago, drudged up by a worried mother who had no idea what Joel was like.

And now Ray’s voice was paying the price. Joel dropped the note and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, tucking his nose against Ray’s neck. “I’m sorry,” he said, quiet.

Ray scribbled something else on the notepad and held it up for Joel. _It’s not your fault._

“I still feel bad.” Joel ran a hand through Ray’s hair, before getting up and stretching. “You can’t work with a bad voice, can you? Not on Let’s Plays, anyway.”

Another sigh through the nose, because any breath through his throat hurt. Ray shook his head.

“Well.” Joel paused in pulling his arm across his chest to loosen his shoulder muscles. “You can get editing done, I guess.”

Ray only got up and slouched to the bathroom. Joel watched him go, following when Ray didn’t close the door so they could both brush their teeth.

That proved more difficult than Ray assumed. Brushing his teeth didn’t hurt much— aside from the occasional impulse to swallow that sent another wave of fiery pain through his esophagus— but when he gargled the foamed water got past his tongue and he choked, coughing violently over the sink, hands clenched on the counter and throat burning with every muscle spasm.

Joel, toothbrush still in his mouth, rushed to pat Ray’s back and soothe him. When the fit ended, Ray let out a raspy groan of misery, skipping the floss to go back to the bedroom and dress himself. “No shower?” Joel shouted, and got no answer in response, so he spit the last of the toothpaste and shucked his boxers off to step under the nozzle.

Ray, who was as addicted to coffee as anyone else in the office who had to keep their energy up for hours on end, had tea in his hand when Joel came in the kitchen with a towel over his shoulders. Ray’s own shoulders hunched and he buried his nose in his mug, scowling. “Tea isn’t _that_ bad,” Joel said, grabbing the coffee pot to fill it with water. “Did you put honey in it?”

This wasn’t the first time Ray broke his voice, and he was well versed with the proper drinks to have on hand. He held the mug up silently and tipped his head to the bear shaped honey squeezer next to the pot on the stove that still steamed with fresh water. Joel hummed his response as the coffee pot started to drip its precious brown elixir, staring at the plastic shell lined with white measurements on the side.

When he made his coffee, Joel settled with Ray at the tiny table, shoving his chair close and sidling up to soften his mood. Ray merely huffed as best he could and pulled something from his pocket. Joel raised an eyebrow as he slid his cellphone across the wood, opened to the ‘Missed Calls’ page, with three of the same number at the top. Ray’s mother, all the time stamps from last night.

The notepad sat nearby and Ray grabbed it again to scribble something messy. _She left voicemails. Says you’re a cradle robber._

Joel snorted, but Ray wasn’t amused, and he cut himself off. “She’ll come around,” he assured Ray, putting a hand on his shoulder and rubbing it. Ray nodded, eyes fixed on his tea.

What could he do to make Ray feel better? Joel tried to sink himself in the taste of his coffee while he thought. Until he could speak well again, Ray would be pissy and upset and probably not the best company. Getting him roses might cheer him up, but he still had a wilting bouquet on the table in the living room from when Joel felt cheery one day and bought them on impulse. He also bought Ray a cupcake with a rose on it the day season eleven of Red Vs. Blue aired its final episode, as a mini celebration. Despite Ray’s theatrical aversion to cake, he’d eaten it gratefully. Roses were played out for the time being.

Joel took a deep breath, because this wasn’t just about Ray feeling awful. If Ray felt bad, so would Joel. It was a disaster for the whole office when the two argued or an issue cropped up for either of them. Misery loved company and they shared their misery like they shared a bed, often and thoroughly.

Misery loved company.

Joel’s eyebrows perked with an idea, and a grin crept onto his face. “Hey, Ray?”

Ray turned with tired eyes that spoke of the day he expected to deal with at work.

“What if I went through this with you?” Joel suggested. Ray frowned, brow furrowed and lip stuck out just slightly. “I’ll stop speaking for the day,” Joel elaborated, hands moving with his mounting excitement. “We can share the annoyance, you know? And I don’t have any acting things, just dumb computer shit, like, it’ll be great! I mean,” he pulled back when Ray’s frown deepened, “not _great,_ but, it’s better to go through it together, isn’t it?”

Ray stared a long moment, running through his mind the many strange ideas Joel had and why he often said no to them, from wiring all his electricity to one switch (to save time!) to trying a certain type of beer that supposedly tasted like sugar (it doesn’t taste like _AIDS_ , Ray, c’mon).

This however, appealed to him on some strange level. Sharing the suffering of going through the day without speaking, having to explain to coworkers what happened— he’d leave out the contents of his fight, of course— and the general agony of a throat injury. It showed support, and love.

And, at the very least, Ray wouldn’t feel the odd man out for his temporary muteness.

He nodded vigorously, smiling. Joel smiled back and leaned in to kiss him, hands cupping Ray’s face. Ray pushed closer and Joel pressed his tongue to his lips, but Ray retreated, motioning to his throat. Unfortunately, the pain of simply breathing meant open mouth kisses weren’t meant to be for the day.

Joel pouted, and dumped the annoyance in his coffee.

With the promise made and Ray’s mood already perked, though he still frowned when he finished his tea and had no more hot liquid to temporarily soothe him, Ray and Joel picked up their backpack and wallet respectively, and walked into the breezy day to pile in Joel’s car. With the onset of winter, the days in Austin gave way either to fierce rain or days of cloud covered sun. To anyone who didn’t live there, it would be a warm day, but for residents it felt cold and clammy. Ray sunk in the passenger seat with his portable mug of fresh tea, sipping idly and focusing on the vibrations of the car as Joel pulled into traffic. Joel opened his mouth to say something comforting, and snapped it shut. Staying silent _was_ Ray’s comfort for the day, Joel reminded himself. So they drove in silence, with the occasional pat on Ray’s knee by Joel to assure him today wouldn’t be as terrible as he thought.

That thought flew out the window at the look on Geoff’s face when Ray came in holding his notepad and the cup of tea, because Geoff knew Ray and the young man only ever drank tea when the situation called desperately for it. “God damn it,” he said as Ray and Joel rolled in the front door. “You’re sick, aren’t you?”

The first of the day’s many explanations. Air spurt through Ray’s nostrils in substitute of a sigh, and he handed his mug to Joel to free himself for writing. _Voice broke_ , he told Geoff, who’s brow furrowed as he read. “Fucking great,” he said, crumpling the note in his fingers. Ray took his mug back and drank his tea as innocently as possible, and Joel stood in silence behind him.

Geoff ran a hand through his hair. “All right, I guess we’ll record some stuff without you. Can you still edit?”

Ray nodded and gave Geoff a thumbs up.

“All right, then.” Geoff turned swiftly and went back to the Achievement Hunter’s tiny office, calling, “Get your asses ready to record in fifteen!” to the group that sat inside. Ray looked at Joel, hands tight around his mug.

Joel smiled, and bent down to give him a gentle kiss, stealing the notepad from Ray to write his own note. _Get through today,_ he said. Thankfully for them, tomorrow meant the weekend which meant Ray could rest all he wanted and not worry about costing the company needed time or money. Ray’s lips curled in the tiniest smile, and he waved goodbye before going to his office.

Joel watched a moment, until the office door shut, and turned on his heel to go to his own office.

On the way there, Brandon passed him on the other side and stopped with a grin. “Morning, Joel!”

He waved once to acknowledge him. Joel meant it when he said he wouldn’t be talking today, even if Ray wasn’t around. He caught the look of mild confusion on Brandon’s face as he passed, but it wasn’t like Joel hadn’t done weird things before, and Brandon left him alone. Joel silently thanked him for that, trailing his feet on the tiled floor until he got to his office and plopped himself heavily in his chair.

As his job didn’t often require recording, save for the Let’s Plays he and Adam had been doing as of late, Joel worked his way through the morning with quiet finger taps on his keyboard and several runs for coffee refreshes. No one asked why he wouldn’t speak; they assumed Joel was busy. And he was, so he let them think what they wanted.

His phone sat idly on his desk, next to the mouse, ready for Joel to pick it up when Ray texted him for lunch. Sometimes they went out together, many days not because their schedules varied too much. Today Joel expected it. Ray wouldn’t have the patience to go out with the other Achievement Hunters and not participate fully in conversation, and he wouldn’t want to eat alone.

Noon passed, as did one, and then two. By three, Joel felt hunger tearing at his stomach. He frowned, checking the time on his monitor, and picked up his phone to tap out a quick message. _Did you eat yet?_

A few minutes passed, and the phone lit up with Ray’s reply.

_Geoff brought me a sandwich. Wanted to get ahead on some editing. Sorry._

Oh. Joel pursed his lips, and set the phone in his pocket after answering. He got up to scrounge up something from the kitchen, no longer in the mood to go out anywhere. Joel stopped inside the door at the sight of Barbara taking a Red Bull from the fridge. “Oh, hey, Joel.” She smiled as she pulled the top off her drink and took a swig. Joel shrugged a response and looked around, settling for the bag of bread and peanut butter on the counter. No jelly, but some food was better than none. He sighed, opening the bag and taking out a couple slices.

“Is that what you’re eating?” Barbara leaned on the counter to watch Joel make his single content sandwich. Surely whatever Geoff brought Ray had been better. Joel moved slow with the butter knife he’d taken from the drawer, simultaneously wanting the food in front of him and wishing he could dredge the energy to get to his car. “You could go out, you know,” Barbara said, as if it weren’t obvious.

Joel shrugged again. He had nothing to write with and wouldn’t break his promise to Ray.

“Why are you so quiet?”

Freezing in his actions, Joel took a deep breath, and searched the room for any type of utensil. The whiteboard and marker on the fridge caught his eye, and he moved to scribble on it. _I’m not talking today,_ he wrote in big letters, pointing to it with the end of the marker. Barbara’s eyebrows scrunched together. Sure she’d read it, Joel erased, and continued in bigger letters, _Ray hurt his throat and can’t speak._

It took a moment before the two sentences clicked together, and Barbara burst into a grin. “That’s so _cute,_ ” she squealed. “You guys are adorable, I swear!”

Joel went back to making himself a peanut butter and bread lunch. Barbara eyed the food, stuck her tongue out, and dove in the fridge. “Here,” she said, shoving a bag at Joel. “Have the rest of mine, I didn’t finish it.” Joel tried to refuse and gesture to his bread, which looked rather pathetic, sitting on the counter with only brown paste smeared on it. Barbara shoved the bag harder, pressing it to Joel’s chets until he took it. “Good,” she said, grinning when he gripped the bag with both hands.

When Barbara left, Joel pulled out his phone again, dumping the half made sandwich in the trash. _You’re lucky other people care about me. I almost had to eat sludge for lunch._

_What, because I didn’t go with you? You can drive yourself, you know. :P_

Joel chuckled at the cheeky emoticon. _I hate going out without you._

The phone stayed silent the rest of the walk back to his office, lighting up again just as Joel sat down to eat. He pulled it off his desk, and broke his promise of silence for the first time that day with a laugh at the picture Ray sent him, a snapchat of his computer monitor open to Final Cut Pro, with a caption that read, _This has been my screen all day._ Ray followed that with another text. _Staying in isn’t exactly the greatest option, either._

He had a point. Joel sent Ray a simple smiley face, and pulled out Barbara’s lunch, which turned out to be a sub covered in ham, lettuce, and some spicy sauce Joel sniffed at before he dug in. He ate for a couple minutes, foot tapping against his desk and chair bouncing as he fidgeted. Half of the sub disappeared, leaving a quarter of its total length, when he set it atop the paper bag it came in and turned his computer back on. He chewed his lip as it booted up, thinking. Maybe the fellow silence made Ray feel better, but it proved somewhat pointless when neither of them spent time with each other at work anyway. He tapped a couple things on the computer, and quickly made a decision to abandon it. Joel flipped the monitor off, ate a few more bites of the sub to settle his stomach, and got up.

This late in the day, the recordings were finished, and the Hunters sat editing or messing around. Gavin, at that moment, was trying to steal Michael’s coffee, yelping when Michael slapped his hand without looking away from his screen. Joel knocked on the open door a couple times to alert everyone of his presence. Geoff jumped, the only one without headphones on. “Hey, Joel,” he said. “You need Ray for something?”

Joel nodded and stepped in. Ray failed to notice him, headphones on and engrossed in editing. Joel smirked, putting both hands on Ray’s shoulders and nuzzling his nose in Ray’s hair. The younger man startled, and wheezed when the gasp sparked waves of pain in his throat. Joel frowned at that, but replaced his smile as Ray turned around in his chair and set the headphones around his neck.

Joel leaned forward to snatch Ray’s notepad. _How do you feel about a movie tonight?_

Ray eyed the note, and grabbed the pad. _Home or out?_

 _Home, so you can rest,_ Joel wrote. _We can go the whole nine yards, though. Popcorn and bad candy, everything._

Ray rolled his eyes and wrote again. _Duh. Yeah, sure._

Joel leaned down to give Ray a gentle peck. “Oh, my God,” Geoff said, rubbing both his eyes harshly with his fingers. “Get the fuck out of here and leave the cutesy shit for yourselves.”

With a grin, Joel pressed a final kiss to Ray’s forehead, and strolled out of the room. Ray smiled as he watched him go before he replaced his headphones, suddenly more eager than before to finish work. He took a drink of his fifth cup of tea that day, the taste not quite as bitter as it had been a moment ago.

On the way home, Ray leaned into Joel’s shoulder, nuzzling his nose against him. Joel put his hand on Ray’s a moment, and returned it to the wheel. “You’ll get me sick, too,” he muttered, unable to write anything down.

Ray quirked an eyebrow, and scribbled on the pad. Joel allowed a brief peek at the message. _Traitor. And I’m not contagious._

“Oh, come on,” he said, laughing. “I stayed silent the whole work day. Besides, I’m driving.”

Ray put himself back on Joel’s shoulder, not saying or writing anything else. Joel’s lips tugged up in a small smile as he pulled in the parking lot of a convenience store. “Be right back,” he said, unbuckling. Ray curled himself in the passenger side and drew his 3DS from his bag. Joel rolled his eyes at that, and walked quickly in the store.

Another jar of honey, extra tea packets, microwavable popcorn, Twizzlers, gumdrops, and Nerds candy. Joel lifted his items to the counter and paid with his credit card, foot tapping with slight annoyance at his lack of cash. He would have to stop at the bank on the way to work Monday, and there was no way he’d be going out this weekend.

Oh well. Staying at Ray’s wouldn’t kill him.

Ray smiled and kissed him again when Joel got back in the car. It took another few minutes to get to Ray’s apartment, and Joel took the two small bags of food inside. Ray followed and unlocked the door, snatching the bag with honey in it when they got inside and rushing to the kitchen. Joel’s eyes crinkled in mirth while Ray hurriedly prepared another cup of tea. “You don’t waste time.”

Ray frowned and pointed to his throat. Instantly Joel felt a pang of guilt, and tried to smile as he set the other plastic bag on the kitchen counter. “I got Nerds,” he said, pulling out the jumbo box and shaking it. Ray tried to keep the frown, but at the sight of the box, he couldn’t help a grin. While he poured hot water in his mug, Joel put the popcorn in the microwave and set it to cook. “Anything good on Netflix?” he asked, one eye on the microwave and the other on his boyfriend.

Ray went to the living room to grab the remote and turn the TV on, flipping through the movies available. “Action? Comedy?” Joel stepped in the room with him and slipped an arm around his waist. “Romance?” he whispered against Ray’s ear, sending a shiver through him. Ray shoved at him playfully as he kept scrolling.

When they settled on a good movie, the popcorn was in a bowl, and Ray munched happily on his nerds with tea on the table next to him, Joel settled beside him on the couch with the remote. “Want me to stay silent again?” he joked as he pressed play.

And Ray stopped eating his candy to look at Joel. Really, really look at him, not paying attention to the opening chase scene of the movie. Joel stared back, shifting uncomfortably, until Ray pushed him back against the arm of the tiny couch and settled himself on Joel’s chest. “Thanks,” he said, voice like scratching on metal. Joel winced, though he listened attentively. “I appreciate that.”

Joel put his hand in Ray’s hair and pet him absently. “No problem.”

From there after, neither said a single word, eating their snacks but mostly just laying with their eyes on the screen. Joel stopped keeping track a half hour in, more entertained with running his fingers in Ray’s hair and shifting enough the get Ray to shift with him so he could feel their bodies moving together. At one point, Joel wanted the popcorn bowl resting on the floor below Ray’s feet, and rather than ask him for it, he pulled his phone from his back pocket and sent a text.

Ray frowned at the sound of his ringtone, and chuckled noiselessly when he saw the message from Joel. He passed him the popcorn, with an extra kiss to the tip of his nose. Joel started, because Ray rarely kissed him there, his eyes crossed to watch him before Ray pulled back and buried himself in the crook of Joel’s neck.

During the second half of the film, Joel tried to pay attention, but after losing his place, it was damn near impossible to pick up the plot. He settled for pondering the little parts— why the main character had three guns, whether his brother deserved to be in jail— and kept petting Ray’s hair until the credits rolled, grabbing a handful of popcorn at the end of the movie and shoving it in his mouth. He’d barely eaten after Ray passed it to him.

When the black screen with slow rolling white text changed to the bright red of the Netflix menu, Joel waited for Ray to get up and, looking down, smirked at the sight. Ray had fallen asleep, mouth slack and strained breaths passing through his lips. Joel might have let him sleep. However, it was barely past eight, Joel wasn’t sleepy, and they both needed a proper dinner that had more sustenance than popcorn and candy. He shifted his chest a couple times, and got his hands underneath him to sit up until Ray jostled awake, blinking rapidly as he adjusted to consciousness.

“Time?” he mumbled, wincing at the task speaking put on his throat.

Joel lifted his cell phone to show him. Ray narrowed his eyes at the small screen and groaned.

“I’ll make more tea,” Joel offered, standing and walking lazily to the kitchen. Ray swung his legs over the edge of the couch and stretched, joints popping and muscles stretching. The water had since gone cold, so Joel put it back on the stove. “We should get an electric water pot,” he mused.

Ray peered at him from the living room, raising an eyebrow with a motion to his mouth. Joel shook his head with a smile. “Sorry, I forgot.” He made a show of zipping his lips and locking them with an imaginary key. Ray smiled in return, getting up and moving briskly to wrap his arms around Joel’s waist, forehead settling against his back.

They stayed like that while the water heated. Joel marveled at the way Ray stayed still, though the mystery didn’t last. When the pot started whistling and he stretched to grab it, Ray slipped forward, gasping quietly as he barely caught himself before falling. Joel stared a second as he shoved the pot off the hot surface, laughing at Ray because he couldn’t help it. He started to speak, and stopped himself, pulling his phone out to tap a message. Foregoing sending it, Joel flipped it around to show Ray. _You’re worse than I thought if you’re falling asleep on me._

Ray’s lips quirked up a bit, and he shrugged. Joel sighed, and dipped down to scoop one arm under Ray’s legs, the other catching him at the shoulders, and he carried Ray out of the kitchen. The younger man yelped and pulled on Joel’s shirt for balance. He didn’t question it as Joel took him to the bedroom and set him gently on the bed, taking off his socks and pulling the blankets around him. Joel typed on his phone again. _I’ll make tea. You can have it if you don’t pass out._ Ray nodded and laid back, taking a deep breath through his nose. Joel turned and walked out, pausing at the door to flash Ray another smile and flick the lights.

By the time he made tea and brought the mug to Ray’s room, he was asleep. Joel set the cup on the bedside table and lay beside him over top the blankets. There was no noise except their breathing. Joel put a hand on Ray’s hip and closed his eyes, slipping into a light sleep himself.

* * *

When Ray awoke the next morning, he started at the sight of Joel next to him, before calming and smiling at him. Joel didn’t stir, and Ray flipped on his back, spotting the tea on the table. At the memory of why he was in bed, fully clothed, Ray opened his mouth to test his voice. It didn’t hurt nearly as much, and speech wouldn’t be hard to do if he wanted to.

He spared another glance at Joel, still wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. Ray pulled his phone from his pocket, feeling the imprint the plastic left on his leg after sleeping on it. He typed quickly and waited.

Joel’s obnoxious ringtone filled the room, and his eyes slowly cracked open. He saw Ray, eyebrows furrowed as he put together where he was and why. The ringtone caught his attention, and he took it out, beaming at what he saw.

_Good morning, Joel._


End file.
